4. Carlina acaulis: a perennial plant, with a short stemand thorny, dentate leaves. Its flowersgroup togetherin heads ofabout 12 cm.diameter, they open and doseaccording to thè grade of humidity inthè atmosphere. It is diffused onmountain areas andis a protectedspecies.

5. Viper (vipera aspis): It has a large triangular head,with thè tip ofits snout turned upward, and small eyes

with vertical pupils. The bodyis usuallybrown with dark borders and ovaispots. It often lives in dry areas,such as open and arid slopes, upto 3000 m. height, Active mostly

during thè day, it is apoisonous snake thateats small mammals andlizards.

6. Edible boletus (Boletus edulis): A mushroom witha fleshy stem supporting a broad rounded top, varyingfrom light to dark brown. Its flesh is firm and white, itsmells like walnut and isdelicious to eat. It growstogehter with -.broadleaf trees(chestnutandbeech trees)and conifers.The pickingof this kind ofmushroom isregulated by thèlaw.

• Foresi Board

Mountain Co/nmun/tyof thè Pistoiese Appennine:

A locai boaro ofthe Mountainfor thè Mountain

USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS:

• Italian Red Cross San Marcelle P.se ............. a 0573

» » Resela ............................... o 0572

Piteglio .............................. * 0573

Montale ............................. o 0573

- Public Assistance Marasca- Bardatone ......... » 0573

Resela ............................... n 0572

Campotizzoro ................... o 0573

-Green Cross

-Golden Cross

Prunella ............................ B 0573

Taviano ............................. B 0573

6301644700769016557800

64481-6509247683065172

67288133333

Montale ............................. * 0573 55251

- Misericordia(Rescue Service) Abetone ......... . .................. « 0573

Cutigliano ......................... « 0573

Sambuca Pistoiese ........... o 0573

Prataccio .......................... * 0573

Popiglio ............................. o 0573

Marliana ............................ « 0572

Momigno ........................... » 0572

Montale ............................. a 0573

-"L.Pacini"Hospital San Marcelle .................... n 0573

-Alpine Rescue Service ............................ ir 0573

- San Marcelle Firemen Board .................. * 0573

- CFS District Board ........................ » 0573

Abetone ............................ o 0573

Cutigliano ......................... o 0573

San Marcelle .................... » 0573

Piteglio .............................. o 0573

6011868363890073672710/9667407866207629291959191

630654

630142

631263

21204

60003-6036368323629025672974

Sambuca Pistoiese .......... « 0573 898047

Typesetting; MB/O NESTI & ROBERTO RECATIDrawnby: LAURA ARCANGELI

Moìintain Communi^offfie Pistoiese Appennini

The Shepherd'sitinerary

for further informations:

A.P.T. San Marcella Mountain CommunityPistoiese of Pistoiese Appennine

Tei. 630.145 • 622.300 Tei. 622.462

The Shepherd'<itinerary

a green-roofed sheepfold (1150 m.) built by thèMountain Community for thè flocks (3). Leave on your

climbing differencein height:

lenght:

time:

type of pattiway:

equipment:

starting point:

signs:

level of difficulty:

350 m.

8 Km (there and back)

1.15(there)/0.40(back)

mountain track

binoculare, camera, mountainboots, cape, flask

Bufale square, reachable bycar from S. Marcelle driving onthè provincia! road to Spigana(about 6 Km.) and then on thèmunicipal road (about 3 Km.)

CAIpath (red-and.white signs)

average

rightboth thè

-..;.... pine foresi andthè MPT path that

leads down to thè Verdianavalley, and keep climbing until you reach thè ridge(direction N.-N. E.)- On your right amidst thè thickvegetation, thè buildings of thè farm of MandrominiNuovo are easily recognisable, while on thè left thereare thè green clearings of Pian del Conte, surroundedby thè last edges of woods. The majestic profile of thèTuscan-Emilian Appennine, which runs from MountGennaio ("January") on thè right to thè Libro Aperto("Open Book") on thè left, encloses thè view.The path goes round Poggio Fratoni and reaches thèalpine pasture Roncole (m. 1400), a wide field scatteredwith Carlina acaulis (4) and encircled by a beech woodwith a little shelter at its centre. The shelter is not lookedafter but one room is always left open for emergencies.During thè mushroom season, it is possible to meetthè locai "fungai" (mushroom-seekers) who, with bigwicker baskets, sticks and boots — essential to avoidvipers' bites (5) — look for tasty boletuses (6). If youcontinue on thè CAI path n.4, you will reach lakeScaffaiolo (m. 1775) in about an hour.

The large square in front of thè Butaleholding is thè starting point for thisitinerary (you can fili up your flasks withthè cool water from thè spring on a sideof thè building ) which continues eastwardon an unasphalted road. After somebends, you will reach a small cottage witha sheep fence. From this point, a path onthè left (CAI n.4, red-and-white signs) (1)will take you up among thè brooms (2) to VIEW OF THE RIDGES FROM THE PLAIN OVER POGGIO FRATONI

VIEW FROM RONCOLE

1. Walk of Peace: Inaugurated on thè 30th May 1991by thè Mountain Soldiers International Federationtogether with thè Alpine Troops Associations of Bolo-gna, Florence andModena, this path connects LizzanoPistoiese (a village few Km. away from Spignana) andLizzano in Belvedere (BO), passing through Butale,Roncole, lake Scaffaiolo, Mount Spigolino and lakePratignano. It was created "in memory ofall those who,in 1944-45, fought on these mountains". The pathfollowes thè CAI path n.4 up to lake Scaffaiolo.

2. Broom (Cytisus scoparius): A bushy plani whichcan be over a metre high. It has green flexible smoothtrunks with many branches. The leaves are very smallwhile thè flowers are numerous and brightyellow. Thepetals arearrangedlike a closed "$Icasket sothat, when aninsect flies onthè lower petal,thè other petalsopen andplenty of pollen is ejected. Brooms grow on acid soilsin sunny places.

3. Pecorino cheese: The wide clearings above 900m.are stili inhabited, expecially in summertime, byshepherds who find thè environment fit for their flocks.They produce thè famous "pecorino" cheese, madeexclusively with sheep's milk curdled in small basinsand then pressed in moulds. The wide variety ofgrassgives a special flavour to these sheep's milk and thusto ali thè kinds of cheese produced with it. It is possibleto buy this cheese either directly from thè sheperds orin thè shops in thè village of Spignana.